Greek themes in Apollo and Daphne
Apollo and Daphne: Gender and It’s Implications The story of Apollo’s first love, Daphne, is a myth that can convey very many different themes of humanity, specifically, those which deal with the basic primal emotions; love or lust, fear, and power. ... When Apollo is struck by Cupid’s golden love arrow, and likewise Daphne is struck by his leaden love-repelling arrow, it sets in motion a chase that equates to the chase of every man who seeks a woman, except that in this case, Daphne will never accept Apollo, nor will Apollo ever attain Daphne. ... For Apollo, it seems, he would chase Daphne until he grasped her and then he would never let go. This goes to show exactly what love did to a Greek as well as modern day people who love perhaps too much, it makes them blind. ... The theme of rape is apparent because of the dichotomy between Apollo’s and Daphne’s feelings. Apollo wants all of Daphne, and Daphne wants nothing of Apollo. It is even more evident due to the comparison between Apollo and a predatorial creature, “A lamb runs like this from the wolf, a hind from the lion, doves with fluttering wings from the eagle. ... Likewise, the male is a god who is all-powerful in comparison to Daphne, as in Greek society where the women had very little power.